Attention commuters and drivers: A portion of Washington Street will be milled and paved next week

Milling and paving of four blocks of Washington Street, between Observer Highway and Third Street, is scheduled to take place the week of Dec. 4, weather permitting.

Expected hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

According to the press release from the city, “Efforts will be made to maintain vehicular traffic where possible. However road closures will be required at times.”

During construction, NJ Transit buses will operate on a detour. Buses heading toward Hoboken Terminal will travel south along Washington Street, detour east on Fifth Street, and south on Hudson Street. Buses heading toward New York will leave the bus terminal from Observer Highway, turn north on Bloomfield Street, turn east on Fifth Street, and continue north on Washington Street along the regular route.

To facilitate bus detours, parking will be prohibited on both sides of Fifth Street between Bloomfield Street and Hudson Street as well as on both sides of Bloomfield Street near Observer Highway and Hudson Street near Fifth Street. Police will be on hand to help direct traffic.

Councilman says names of five suspects have been given to cops, in racist flyer case

The Police Department is still investigating an anonymous campaign flyer distributed before the Nov. 7 mayoral election, and treating it as a bias incident. The flyer targeted now Mayor-elect Ravi Bhalla, placing the words “Don’t let TERRORISM take over this town” over his picture.

Whoever made the ad also included the name of opponent Councilman Michael DeFusco, making it appear that DeFusco created the ad. However, DeFusco immediately denounced it and said it didn’t come from his campaign. He has also offered a $5,000 reward for anyone who has information which leads to a conviction in the case, and hired a private investigator.

DeFusco’s campaign spokesman, Phil Swibinski, issued a press release on Tuesday, Nov. 28, which stated that they believe the reward has led to a “significant new lead that has been forwarded to the Hoboken Police Department” – which includes the names of five people who allegedly distributed the flyer.

The police had released black and white photos of people caught on camera allegedly distributing the flyers.

However, when asked about the press release. Police Chief Ken Ferrante said in an email that the identities provided by DeFusco’s campaign have not yet been corroborated.

“When police investigators have people come forward with information, that info and the person providing the info are not identified until it needs to be (i.e. court), for many reasons, including the protection of the investigation, the protection of witnesses, and the protection of individuals against false claims,” he said. “When identities of individuals involved in this case are confirmed to the point of probable cause, at that time, complaints will be filed, arrests will be made, and then we will announce the arrests like we always do.”

The identities of those distributing the flyers could potentially be traced to whichever campaign, political group, or politician hired them. Six people ran for mayor, four of whom already have elected positions.

Ferrante said, “The Hoboken Police Department continues to perform interviews, work with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, use forensic science in assessing evidence, and look at all tips and information for corroboration and veracity. At this time, none of the leads or identities provided by the DeFusco campaign have been corroborated, and Hoboken Police Detectives continue to attempt to corroborate the info provided.”

DeFusco said in a release, “This new information puts our city one step closer to finding out who perpetrated this heinous act that impacted our election and brought an incredible amount of negative attention to Hoboken. I am confident that the Hoboken Police Department is doing everything it can to solve this case and I would like to thank the many residents who responded to our reward offer and who share our goal of getting to the bottom of this disgusting act to hopefully prevent this kind of malfeasance from ever happening again.”

Crowd surrounds cops in Hoboken when they try to break up brawl; four arrested

Four men were arrested in the wee hours of Saturday, Nov. 25 after a fight erupted outside of a bar on downtown Washington Street. Two officers were injured.

Police Chief Ken Ferrante took to Twitter the morning of the arrests and said, “Last night, we had 2 HobokenPD officers from our midnight shift injured breaking up a brawl involving 40 people… Bars or restaurants that can’t control crowds will not be tolerated.”

Hoboken resident Frank Henderson, 22, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering apprehension, and failure to disperse.

Jersey City resident Christian Caputo, 23, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering apprehension, and failure to disperse.

Jersey City resident Robert Rosario, 21, was charged with hindering apprehension and failure to disperse.

Dyer, Caputo, and Rosario were released with summonses to appear in court and Henderson was remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.

Officers were patrolling downtown Washington Street when they saw a fight outside a local bar. As they tried to break up the fight between men and women, more smaller fights began. The officers requested back up to assist controlling the large unruly crowd. As the officers tried to stop the fight Officer Michael Losurdo was allegedly charged by Caputo and thrown to the ground. He was able to control the defendant with the help of Officer Tyrone Huggins and placed him under arrest.

During the arrest of Caputo, Henderson and Rosario allegedly attempted to assist Caputo by charging the officers and pull him away. They officers regained control of Caputo and Henderson and Rosario allegedly fled the scene.

A crowd formed around the officers as they attempted to place Caputo into the car. Sgt. Michael Costello tried to help clear a path for them when he was allegedly jumped from behind by Hashim Dyer who was then placed under arrest.

Other police officers arrived to help including New Jersey Transit, New Jersey State Police, and North Bergen Police along with Port Authority Police.

Rosario and Henderson were later found and placed under arrest. All were transported to headquarters for processing.

Losurdo and Costello were treated at Hoboken University Medical Center for injuries. Lossurdo suffered injuries to his head, leg, and ear and was cleared for duty. Costello sustained a back injury and has not yet been cleared to return.

Hoboken officials ask state to deny NY Waterway application

Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Mayor-elect Ravi Bhalla, Council President Jen Giattino, and Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher have urged the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to deny private ferry company NY Waterway’s application for a provisional permit in order to develop the existing Union Dry Dock site on the northern waterfront. NY Waterway plans to use the site, where a long-time ship repair business is presently located, for ferry repair and maintenance. The city wants to acquire the property to fill in a gap in the municipal waterfront walkway and create a park.

Last month the City Council approved an ordinance that would permit the city to use eminent domain, after a subsidiary for NY Waterway purchased the property from Union Dry Dock & Repair Co for $11.5 million.

NJ Transit plans to acquire the property from NY Waterway and then lease it back to the ferry company.

Giattino and Fisher coauthored a letter which stated: “We are both members of Hoboken’s City Council, representing the 6th and 2nd Wards that include or are directly adjacent to the Union Dry Dock site under consideration... We are urging you to reject the application on its merits, and because of the potential negative impact to the Hoboken community and the disruption to a decades-long effort to secure the waterfront for public use and access.

“This request from NY Waterway in concert with both Union Dry Dock and NJ Transit, came as a surprise without any input from Hoboken officials or its residents,” they added. They also stated, “On its merit, this application is anything but environmentally sound, creating environmental risks and quality of life issues for residents of and visitors to Hoboken.”

NJ Transit has informed the city that they will enter into an agreement with the company and plan to allocate $12 million in its budget to acquire the property, according to a press release from the city. This ownership by a state agency would effectively nullify the city’s power to condemn and acquire the property.

Residents may speak at the next NJ Transit board meeting which will be on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. in the Board Room at NJ Transit’s Headquarters at One Penn Plaza East, Ninth Floor, in Newark.

Zimmer and Bhalla also urged the DEP Commissioner to deny the application and ensure that the “entire transaction be fully evaluated in the light of day with full transparency for all interested parties. Unfortunately it appears as though the transaction has so far been conducted in a manner that appears intended to hide information.”

Bhalla and Zimmer’s letter can be viewed in full at http://www.hobokennj.gov/docs/mayor/Letter-Zimmer-Bhalla-DEP-NY-Waterway-Permit-11-28-17.pdf

Mayor Dawn Zimmer has announced that Battalion Chief Brian Crimmins will be appointed as the new provisional fire chief. He will be sworn in this week and will serve until a new Fire Chief test is administered in early 2018. The test will be open to all battalion chiefs and captains, and Mayor-elect Ravi Bhalla’s Administration will make a decision on the next fire chief after the results of the test have been received.

The position was previously held Anton Peskens. According to city spokesman Juan Melli, “The city and Chief Peskens were unable to agree upon terms for his permanent appointment to the position of fire chief. Therefore, the city has requested that Civil Service generate a new eligibility list. Chief Peskens did a great job as fire chief, but Civil Service rules do not allow the City to keep him in the provisional position while Civil Service generates a new eligibility list for consideration.”

“I thank Chief Peskens for his service to Hoboken as Provisional Chief and Battalion Chief Crimmins for stepping up to serve as our next Provisional Chief,” said Mayor Zimmer.

Battalion Chief Crimmins has served in the Hoboken Fire Department since 2004 and was ranked first on the Battalion Fire Chief promotional list. He graduated magna cum laude from Boston College and graduated first in his class at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he received a Master of Public Administration.

The program will include presentations by medical experts about how to better manage congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A free, healthy lunch will be included.

Register at holly.goroff@carepointhealth.org or Nancy.aleman@carepointhealth.org.

The event will be held at Christ Hospital, 176 Palisade Ave., Jersey City.

SoulCycle is scheduled to open in Hudson Reporter building on Jan. 27

According to a press release and email, SoulCycle is scheduled to open its Hoboken and second New Jersey location on Jan. 27 in the former Hudson Reporter building, 1400 Washington St., Hoboken.

The full-body indoor cycling and lifestyle brand will have a 54 bike studio in the 8,955-square foot building, including the basement, and will also house an expansive lifestyle boutique selling SoulCycle’s original performance and athleisure clothing collections.

Additional rider amenities include two showers, four individual restrooms and two changing rooms.

SoulCycle in the New Jersey area costs $34 per class, according to the press release, and more than 20,000 riders take SoulCycle classes every day. Riders engage in high intensity cardio while also toning their upper bodies using hand weights and core engaging choreography.

Fundraiser for Hoboken Family Planning Clinic announced

The Friends of the Hoboken Family Planning Clinic will host their fifth annual Wine and Dessert fundraiser on Thursday, Dec. 7 at the home of Jeannie and Bruce Lubin, 58 Ninth St., Hoboken, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The evening will raise funds for the Hoboken Family Planning Clinic. This year’s goal is to raise $20,000 to serve 70 low income women with needed health services for one year. The average cost for one woman is $286 per year.

The minimum contribution is $50 and is tax deductible.

Contributions can be made online to: hfp_contributions@aol.com with PayPal and checks can be sent to Cindy Cray at 1248 Bloomfield St. Apt 4, and made payable to the Hoboken Family Planning Clinic.

RSVP at FriendsofHobokenFamilyPlanning@gmail.com

$6,000 raised for Hoboken High School girls’ soccer team

On Friday, Nov. 17. the Hoboken Soccer Patrons, a local nonprofit, hosted Hoboken’s first “Pasta Cup” to raise funds for the girls’ soccer program at Hoboken High School.

The first annual Hoboken Italian “Pasta Cup” had top local restaurants competing with their signature pasta dishes to win the Pasta Cup for Best in Hoboken.

This year’s winner was Augustino’s, with Johnny Peperonni coming in second place, according to one of the founders of the organization, Councilman Ruben Ramos.

According to Ramos, the money will go to new training equipment and warm up gear.

Give the gift of a good story

The Friends of the Hoboken Library will host a used book sale on Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Everyone is welcome to pick from a wide-ranging collection of gently used books which will be on sale on the newly renovated and yet to be open lower level of the Hoboken Public Library at 500 Park Ave.

Prices range from $1 to $5 according to the organization and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to supporting the Hoboken Public Library.

Public Hearing announced for part of the Master Plan

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the adoption of the Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element of the Hoboken Master Plan at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the ground floor conference room of City Hall, 94 Washington St.

The city has been actively involved in sustainability efforts for nearly a decade, achieving bronze certification from Sustainable Jersey in 2011 and silver certification in 2017. Sustainability has been promoted through several recent and current efforts that address climate adaptation, flood mitigation, public and environmental health, Green Building, and non-vehicular transportation.

The draft Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element (“Sustainability Element”) discusses these efforts and outlines goals, strategies, and actions to make Hoboken a more sustainable and resilient city.

The purpose of the public hearing is to take public comments on the proposed Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element of the Hoboken Master Plan. Depending on those public comments, the board may adopt the proposed Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element at that time.

To view a draft of the Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element, go to www.hob-art.org and via